Hal Higdon has written for Runner's World since its second issue in 1966, and his plans are where a lot of runners begin. In 2020, Runner's World reported that more than a million runners had used his Novice 1 marathon plan. Every plan from Hal Higdon's Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide that we review is on this page, from a 12-week base plan to a 50-mile ultra, so you can see how they differ before you pick one.
Each plan is graded on the same 31 measures we use for every plan, with the research behind each measure linked. The ladder is strict. A C is a decent plan with gaps worth knowing about, and a D is either bare bones or has issues that you might want to avoid. Open any plan to see what it does well, where it falls short, and who it suits.
- Plans reviewed
- 18
- Goals
- Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultramarathon, Base building, General fitness
- Length
- 8–34 weeks
- Run days
- 4–6 a week
- Peak mileage
- 15–82 miles a week
Half Marathon plans
Hal Higdon's gentlest entry to 13.1, run-walk friendly and starting from just four miles a week.
BeginnerRequires purchaseA modest step up from Novice 1 for runners with a few months behind them, adding Wednesday pace runs.
BeginnerRequires purchaseAn endurance-first half-marathon build that adds Monday cross-training and pace runs to teach your goal rhythm.
IntermediateRequires purchaseSteps up the intermediate half with Wednesday speedwork, alternating track repeats and humpbacked tempo runs across twelve weeks.
IntermediateRequires purchaseTuesday speedwork, Thursday tempo runs, and a quick one-week taper carry a seasoned racer to a sharp 13.1.
AdvancedRequires purchaseMarathon plans
Higdon's most popular first-marathon plan, no speedwork and a Saturday long run that climbs from six miles to twenty.
BeginnerRequires purchaseOne rung above Novice 1 for runners with some racing miles, lifting long-run distance and adding Wednesday pace runs.
BeginnerRequires purchasePairs a Saturday marathon-pace run with a slower Sunday long run, the back-to-back weekend that defines the intermediate jump.
IntermediateRequires purchaseMore mileage and three twenty-milers make this the heavily endurance-based intermediate marathon plan for runners building real stamina.
IntermediateRequires purchasePrepares intermediate runners for Disney's four-race weekend that climbs from a 5K through a full marathon on consecutive days.
IntermediateRequires purchaseFor runners already qualified, a thirteen-week Boston sharpener built on 3/1 long runs and downhill repeats for Heartbreak Hill.
AdvancedRequires purchaseIntroduces Thursday speedwork that rotates hills with tempo runs and 800s to push experienced marathoners toward a faster finish.
AdvancedRequires purchaseThe Advanced 1 marathon rebuilt around a target heart-rate percentage for every workout, a guide for runners who train by feel of effort.
AdvancedRequires purchaseHigdon's most demanding marathon plan, with speedwork twice weekly and optional double days for runners chasing every minute.
AdvancedRequires purchaseUltramarathon plans
Twenty-six weeks toward your first 50K, alternating time-based long runs on the trails where most ultras are run.
AdvancedRequires purchaseAdds eight weeks to the 50K build and trains both weekend days by time, readying advanced runners for fifty trail miles.
AdvancedRequires purchaseBase building plans
General fitness plans
Training with Hal Higdon
Higdon's plans are built on one clear idea: a race depends on the long run, so the long run gets the weekend and most of the week stays easy. Each day on the calendar is a distance. Paces come from a goal you set through workouts, a short race or a past marathon, and a race around week 8 checks that goal. The book lets you swap days, skip one day (never 2 in a row), and take walking breaks, including through the aid stations on race day. It's a schedule you can read in a minute and follow for months, and it's one reason his plans are so widely used.
The plans climb a ladder. The marathon plans run 18 weeks, from Novice 1 and 2 (4 or 5 run days, written for beginners) through Intermediate 1 and 2 (5 days) to Advanced 1 and 2 (6 days, with a heart-rate version of Advanced 1). Novice 1 asks for about a year of running and 15 to 25 miles a week before you start. Boston Bound is a 13-week plan for runners who have already qualified, and it adds downhill repeats for Boston's course. The half marathon plans run 12 weeks, from Novice 1, which asks only that you can cover 4 miles running or walking, to Advanced. Beyond those sit a base plan, a pool-running plan, the Dopey Challenge, and ultras at 50K and 50 miles.
The grades follow the ladder. The advanced plans, Boston Bound and the upper half marathon plans earn Cs, and the novice and intermediate marathon plans earn Ds. Across the set, getting you ready for race day is the strongest part: long runs that grow over months are essential for the marathon, and these plans build them steadily to 20 miles. The gaps sit around that simplicity, but they matter. Strength work, which the book discusses, never reaches the calendar. The schedule says little about what to protect when a week goes sideways. And some plans go a long stretch without a lighter week to absorb the work: Novice 1 has none until the taper.
These plans suit a healthy runner with a steady base who likes an uncluttered week. If you've been hurt in the past year, or you want strength work and race-effort practice built into the plan, read the reviews closely before you commit.
Get more out of your running with Buena Vida
Buena Vida was built by a runner to bring the whole job of training into one place: a plan that fits your schedule and your fitness, coaching on every run, and food targets that keep up with the work you do. Members get personal training & nutrition plans, plus full access to the catalog of pre-written plans for every running goal.
In research studies, runners on plans fit to them improved as much as or more than runners on fixed plans, and fewer of them stalled.
Try it FREE for 7 days. After that, it's $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, and you can cancel anytime.
Scan to get the app on your iPhone